"Food is inclusive, it makes you experience beauty and helps you regain the taste of life". This was said - speaking at the Food Journalism Festival of Turin - Chiara Frigeni of In-grip the social cooperative of Carate Brianza which was born as an experience of fostering on the initiative of the founder Emilia Vergani, social worker, and who today follows paths of approach to the professions catering for more than 400 children with problems of social, scholastic and work difficulties in the Monza, Brianza and Milanese neighborhood.
And the same philosophy is shared by Cristina Bowerman, starred chef who dedicates part of her activity to this type of itineraries, also in her role as President of the Italian Association of taste ambassadors. "The principle of restitution, when you are able to give back, is a sign of civilization and character," said Bowerman, who works with In-grip and also with other associations.
Agricultural businesses are also increasingly sensitive to the social issue, so much so that the legislation of the Piedmont Region in 2019 has adapted to other avant-garde regions with a law that tidies up rural activity by enhancing social agriculture. For the first time, social and educational farms and proximity farms are recognized at the regulatory level: in marginal territories, such as the mountains, the agricultural entrepreneur is often one of the last remaining subjects in the area and is able to provide various services nature aimed at the population that remains.
The panel was also attended by Luca Marin, from the Oz Warehouses in Turin, and Andrea Rossi from the Clarabella Cooperative in Brescia.
